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Chicago, IL –July 8, 2019 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include:Xcel Energy Inc. XEL, ONEOK, Inc. OKE, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. HE and DTE Energy Company DTE.

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

4 Utilities that Beat the S&P 500 in 1st Half 2019

In the first six months of 2019, the dominant issue in the financial space has been the trade war between the United States and China. Though President Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping have agreed to resume trade talks, the ongoing market volatility is spooking investors.

The forecast for U.S. GDP growth rates after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting held on Jun 19 paints a tougher picture for the U.S. economy. The committee projects a decline in U.S. GDP from 2.9% at the end of 2018 to 2.1% in 2019, 2% in 2020 and 1.8% in 2021.

Stable Investment Option

In such a tumultuous scenario, investors may look out for safe-haven stocks which assure steady returns. Utilities is one such sector, which provides basic electric, water and gas services, and is guarded against ups and downs in an economy. In the past 12 months, the sector has returned 9.6%, outperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s return of 7.3%.

Moreover, fed officials kept the 2019 interest rate at 2.4%, unchanged from its March FOMC meeting. Interest rate projection for 2020 and 2021 has been revised down. The rate is now projected at 2.1%, down from 2.6% for 2020, and 2.4% versus 2.6% expected earlier for 2021.

Markets are likely to remain edgy for now, making stable sectors like Utilities all the more appealing. We have picked a few stocks from the sector with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) which have returned more than the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s 16% in the first six months of 2019. These companies’ dividend yield is better than the S&P 500 composite as well. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Estimate Movement =The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has moved up 0.3% to $6.22 in the past 60 days.

Focus on Innovation

Most utility companies are mature with extensive infrastructure. To deliver safe and clean services, these facilities require regular maintenance and upgrade. Thus, funding is an important factor. The aforementioned utility companies are also investing in research and development on a regular basis to maintain services. Xcel Energy’s capital investments are directed toward transmission, distribution, electric generation and renewable projects.

The company is well positioned to deliver 2019 earnings per share in the range of $2.55-$2.65 with 5-7% earnings growth. ONEOK expects total growth capital expenditures in the range of $2,500-$3,700 million for 2019. In the 2020-2021 period, Hawaiian Electric plans to invest $400-$500 million annually and approximately $400 million in 2019. Meanwhile, DTE Electric intends to make capital investments of $11.3 billion between 2019 and 2023.

Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential

The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases.

Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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